From Iowa Sports Information
Iowa student-athletes Drew Stevens (football) and Olivia Swalley (women’s swimming) were named November’s Student-Athletes of the Month, the Iowa Student-Athlete Advisory Committee announced.
Stevens, a junior from North Augusta, South Carolina, most recently led Iowa to a 13-10 victory over Nebraska with a 53-yard game winning field goal. In the month of November, he made all three 50+ field goals, increasing his career total to a school-record, eight. Stevens contributed the second-most points on the team with 35, just one point behind running back Kaleb Johnson. He tied the school record and SECU Stadium record (Maryland) for field goals in a game with a 5-5 finish in Iowa’s win over Maryland. Stevens was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week in consecutive weeks, as he led the team to a 3-1 record in the month of November, and another eight win season for the football program. Concluding November, Stevens made all 11 PAT attempts and was 8-9 in field goals in the Hawkeyes’ final stretch of the season.
Swalley, a sophomore from Johnston, Iowa, has led the women’s swimming and diving team, breaking records and excelling in numerous events. At the Hawkeye Invitational, Swalley set Iowa’s program record, winning the 400 individual medley in 4:10.54. She also improved Iowa’s second-fastest 200 individual medley time, racing 1:57.89 and finishing first. Swalley collected NCAA B-cut times in the 200 and 400 IM, as well as the 200 Breast. In Iowa’s trip to No. 23 Minnesota, Swalley won three individual events in the 100 Breast, 200 Breast, and the 400 IM.
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Deion Sanders has put the Colorado Buffaloes on the map. He went 4-8 in season one and 9-4 in season two. Strangely enough, though, folks at ESPN seem to be pumping the brakes on the "Coach Prime" hype in Boulder. Rather than expect Colorado to continue building, new ESPN contributor Josh Pate seems to believe the Buffs are going to take a step back. At the very least, he's taking a ton of pressure off Sanders by saying Colorado needs to only worry about "being competitive" in 2025. Pate was on ESPN's "Get Up" and was asked what would make this season successful for Sanders and the Buffs. “Being competitive in every game,” said Pate (h/t On3). “That could be six wins. It could be nine wins in the Big 12. What he knows is what he’s experienced, and that is the gap between the lead car and No. 11 car in that lead field is very narrow.” That's a strange take, because for a competitor like Sanders, six wins would absolutely be a disappointment. That said, another ESPN contributor, former Ohio State and NFL wide receiver Joey Galloway, agreed with Pate. “I agree with you, 100%. I think that people have these lofty expectations that are sort of unfair,” Galloway said. “He lost the best player in college football in Travis Hunter, lost his starting quarterback. And so, they’re going to take a step back.” Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter was a star wide receiver and cornerback, and the type of college football player who comes around once in a lifetime, so it is understandable that Colorado may have a hard time replacing him. With that said, Shedeur Sanders was a good quarterback, but he's not irreplaceable. The Buffs have a competition between Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter and five-star freshman Julian Lewis. They also still have "Coach Prime," who has proved to be a good coach and leader. Sanders was also a legendary pro athlete, and he's a dynamic personality. All of that helps him on the recruiting trail, where he's been able to attract a lot of talent to Colorado. Colorado may not be a College Football Playoff contender in 2025, but expecting a return to the ho-hum days of Buffaloes football also doesn't make sense. That's a shockingly low bar ESPN has set.
Previous reports indicated that unsettled Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin was looking to land "parts" of the five-year, $150M contract that the Pittsburgh Steelers gave DK Metcalf earlier this year. For an article published on Wednesday morning, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic offered an update regarding why McLaurin and the Commanders haven't come to terms on an extension after the 29-year-old requested a trade on July 31. "One person with knowledge of McLaurin’s contract negotiations said the veteran receiver has asked for more than DK Metcalf," Jhabvala revealed. McLaurin is in the final year of his current deal and will turn 30 years old in September. To compare, Metcalf will turn 28 in December. That said, McLaurin emerged last season as the favorite target for quarterback Jayden Daniels as Daniels guided the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game. "McLaurin believes he’s one of the best receivers in the NFL," Jhabvala added. "He’s been the Commanders' leading receiver every season since he entered the league (in 2019), and last year had the second-most receiving TDs in the league behind Ja’Marr Chase’s 17. He also ranked third in (expected points added) on targets and seventh in catch rate among receivers with at least 100 targets last year, but among that same group, McLaurin’s total receiving yards (1,096) ranked 12th and his average yards after the catch ranked 25th." Daniels seemed optimistic while speaking about the ongoing contract standoff during the ESPN broadcast of Monday's preseason game between the Commanders and Cincinnati Bengals when he said he knew McLaurin would "be coming through the door soon." However, Jhabvala noted that "it wouldn’t be a surprise if the [Commanders have] set a maximum range of $27M to $28M a year in average annual value for McLaurin." That seems to suggest the two sides aren't all that close to coming to terms on an agreement. It's unclear if McLaurin is willing to forfeit money by sitting out Washington's Week 1 game against the New York Giants on Sept. 7 amid his desire for a pay raise. If he isn't, he may have to soon accept the offer that's on the table to guarantee himself future earnings beyond the upcoming season.
Joint practices in the NFL can be really heated. Just take for example the one involving the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, with fights erupting on the field between players from both sides. Even though it’s just a practice session with nothing significant on the line, the competitive juices of players can get in the way and spark fiery moments on the field. If anything, at least no one appears to have been seriously hurt from the multiple altercations reported. However, Packers right tackle Zach Tom was reportedly tossed out of the field after throwing punches at a couple of Seahawks players. Despite all the chaos that transpired between the Packers and the Seahawks, Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald had great things to say about Green Bay. Seahawks head coach sends message to Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers Brady Henderson of ESPN noted that Macdonald started his session with the media after the practice, “by thanking Packers coach Matt LaFleur and the organization for hosting them.” In any case, Macdonald felt good overall about his players. “It’s hard to tell what happened, who said what,” Macdonald shared. “Look, you want your guys to defend their [teammates]. There’s a line. Whether we go past the line, I don’t think we did, which is good. Our guys stayed composed. But some of these things do tend to happen, and however it gets started … hopefully it’s not our guys, but people are going to react to a certain extent. I think our guys handled it pretty well.” The Packers and the Seahawks will still see each other on the field this offseason, as they are scheduled to play in their 2025 NFL preseason finale on Saturday at Lambeau Field.
The Jets and any other rival of the Avalanche lost out on Victor Olofsson, as the top remaining NHL free agent has just signed a one-year deal with Colorado. One of the best remaining unrestricted free agents is no longer available. The Colorado Avalanche signed forward Victor Olofsson to a one-year, $1.575 million contract through 2025-26, the team announced Wednesday. PuckPedia reported the agreement Tuesday night. Victor Olofsson entered free agency after a bounce-back season with the Vegas Golden Knights. After six seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, the team that drafted him in the seventh round in 2014, the Swedish winger signed a one-year, $1.075 million contract with Vegas this past summer. That followed a difficult 2023-24 campaign in Buffalo, where he posted just 15 points in 51 games. In Vegas, the 30-year-old regained some of his scoring touch. Although he was limited to 56 games due to injuries, he netted 15 goals and 14 assists for 29 points. Not quite the 40-point pace he was in his prime with the Sabres, but Olofsson proved he could be a reliable depth scorer for a playoff team. He registered four points in nine playoff games before the Golden Knights were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round. Olofsson has 105 goals and 106 assists for 211 points in 370 NHL career games. Last spring was his first taste of playoff action. Olofsson could be the key for the Avalanche to win the Central Division Now, Olofsson becomes a part of a Colorado team that is seeking a return to Central Division supremacy after being defeated by the Dallas Stars in last season's semifinals. This could pose a problem for the Winnipeg Jets, as their direct rivals have just gotten better up front. With stars such as Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and the now-returning Gabriel Landeskog around him, he'll get the chance to find a significant role on a contender. For Olofsson, the Avalanche provides a clean slate and an opportunity to demonstrate that there is still much more to give. If all goes well, Colorado will be giving their Western Conference foes a real hard time in the upcoming season.
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